Celebrating the Season!

Our customary Christmas Party was a lavish affair with yummy treats supplied by the many talented cooks among us. Held in the hall in which we rehearse, our view was picture perfect and added to the ‘ambience’. The Christmas trivia from our MC (Anne) was both amusing and enlightening and the party pieces made us laugh and sing – a befitting way to end another great year!

And with the Care and Share Group

Donned with ‘gay apparel’, we entertained the warm and generous Care and Share Group at Isabella Plains and again sang in the foyer of the Canberra Hospital as part of the Christmas Choir Festival organised by the Canberra Hospital Foundation. A good excuse to be jolly!

‘All together’ at the High Court ! – October 19

The High Court performance will go down as one of our best concerts to date. All the extra rehearsal time was worth it as we sang really well. Not an easy task following the spectacular Hughes Community Choir whose energy and passion was a delight to see.

We also sang with gusto and purpose and to a man, delivered the message, by example, that singing is one of the best things you can do both for your ‘heart’ and your ‘soul’! The audience response was warm and generous and we provided a very good balance for the overall concert. A fantastic achievement for us all!

Canberra Southern Cross Club – 2014 Annual Community Grants Luncheon

Adrienne and Les represented our group at this year’s Community Grant Luncheon and Katy Gallagher would have been very impressed by their wardrobe co-ordination! They were also seen from afar deep in conversation whilst enjoying the sumptuous lunch courtesy of the Club.

The following excerpt is the result of a telephone interview. It is on the Club’s website and covers the essence of what was said:

The Heart and Soul Singers choir will use its grant to continue providing entertainment and friendship to its members and audiences. Manager Janelle Burns said the Canberra Southern Cross Club grant was the over 50s choir’s only form of financial assistance and it provided the opportunity for the group to thrive.

“We’re focused on singing but also on companionship, which is very important for people as they get older. It makes you feel good,” she said.

“We were knocked sideways when we received the first grant and we feel very privileged to have been included again as a recipient.”

Five years strong, continued funding and Chrissie Shaw as our full time Director!

So as we blow out our five candles and head towards our first decade, we have much to celebrate.

An early birthday present

Again we are the proud recipient of a Community Grant from the Canberra Southern Cross Club. We wish to thank the Club for their on-going support for all the community groups. This support enables all of us to continue to give back to our collective communities.

A new Director

A wonderful way to begin our new year of singing together! After her first set of workshops, Chrissie decided to make herself available as our full time director. An offer, as they say, ‘too good to refuse’! She has many years of musical experience which has already had a positive effect on both our confidence and collective sound and her sense of fun makes us smile even more. Chrissie also has a body of varied songs at her disposal and our repertoire is going to be richer for it.

A new direction

The first ‘Heart and Soul Community Sing’ proved to be one of our most successful gigs for the Tuggeranong 55 Plus Club. It was terrific to see everyone singing along to the selection of Beatles songs, proving you are never too old to ‘rock n roll’! As we often out number our audience, it was fun to have a larger and active one. The projection of the words worked really well and is something we can incorporate in our future gigs at the centre –
ABBA here we come………

Guest Director – Term 2

We are delighted to announce that we will have well known local performance artist Chrissie Shaw join us as our guest director for Term 2.

Chrissie will conduct two four week workshops during the term and brings with her a wealth of experience. She has been musical director of several community choirs, performed for many theatre companies, and has produced several independent shows.

We have worked with Chrissie before and are looking forward to her return – she is great fun and her lightness of spirit is very infectious!

YMCA Senior Sports Carnival – Wednesday 9 April 2014

The first term ended on a high note as we were invited to sing at the opening ceremony of the Canberra YMCA’s Senior Sports Carnival at the Mpowerdome at Fadden.

The carnival promotes the health and well-being of Canberra’s older citizens who reside in age care facilities or attend age day care programs. It is an annual event which provides an Olympic like atmosphere, with an opening ceremony, local celebrities and dignitaries, medals, entertainment and morning tea.

There were 19 participating teams this year and the dome was filled with colour and a buzz of excitement as the Canberra City Pipes and Drummers lead the Banner Parade. We sang two songs and the National Anthem before the games were declared officially open by Maureen Cane.

A wonderful event to be part of, encouraging all to ‘stay active in body and mind and to never lose that competitive spirit’!

The Banner Parade

inspiring for everyone including the organizer!

Connect and Participate Expo – 29 March 2014Old Bus Depot Kingston

Publicising our group has always been challenging and to date we have mainly relied on word of mouth and the occasional newspaper advertisement.
The Inaugural Connect and Participation Expo provided us with a different avenue to advertise who we are and what we offer. It was a very well organised event, well set out and inviting for all who came. Our table had prime position just near the entrance and we were delighted to have so many lovely visitors. The bookmarks, almost hot of the press, were a perfect way to advertise our details and helped to give our display that ‘professional’ look!

Setting up at Old Bus Depot Kingston

Seniors Week – 16 – 23 March 2014

‘Let the Good Times Roll’ was the theme for this year’s Seniors Week and we as a ‘senior group’ did our best.
To begin the week, we threw our hat in the ring again and opened our rehearsal to one and all – ‘Sing, Laugh, Enjoy!’ – as part of the activities participation program.
Although not quite as successful as last year, the morning was a relaxed one with an African lullaby and a Sonny and Cher classic being added to our repertoire. Living up to our slogan for the rehearsal, we sang a lot, laughed way too much and certainly enjoyed the morning. And, the yummy treats brought to share were an added bonus!

Calvary Retirement Village – Friday 21 March

The returned visit to the village was not a planned one, but we were more than happy to fill in when illness struck.
Complete with green gloves, our intrepid group of ten took the audience on a quick trip around the globe, singing songs from all over the world.
Being Seniors Week it was an ideal opportunity to reinforce the value of singing and how good it is for you.

The audience were invited to join us at any stage during our performance and we were delighted when many of them did. It was a very happy and relaxed performance proving that sometimes it can be an advantage to sing at short notice!

Heart and Soul Singers is a singing group for “over 50’s” that promotes the health benefits and joy that can be gained through singing as well as giving back to the community through performances.

Anyone can join Heart and Soul Singers and everyone can sing!

Come and join us and be rewarded by physical and mental stimulation and an improved feeling of wellbeing. Meet new friends in a supportive environment.

We are proud recipients of a Community Grant generously awarded by The Canberra Southern Cross Club.